| The G Word | |
|---|---|
 Netflix poster | |
| Genre | Comedy, Documentary |
| Created by |
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| Inspired by | The Fifth Risk byMichael Lewis |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 (limited series) |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Charlie Gruet |
| Editors |
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| Production companies | A24 Fair Point Higher Ground Productions |
| Original release | |
| Release | May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19) |
The G Word with Adam Conover is a 2022 American documentary comedy show on Netflix created byAdam Conover.[1][2][3] The show discusses topics and their connection to thefederal government of the United States,[4] with "the g word" referring to 'government.' The show is produced byBarack Obama, the44th president of the United States, and his wife,Michelle Obama.[1][5] Each episode examines a different aspect of the government,[6] loosely based on the bookThe Fifth Risk byMichael Lewis.[7]
Writing for the show had started a week beforeCOVID-19 lockdowns, before being moved online.[8]
| No. in season | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Food" | |
Adam unpacks the origins of theUSDA, the ways in which it keeps food safe, its challenges, and how it's directly responsible for stuffed-crust pizza. | ||
| 2 | "Weather" | |
How's the weather? The answer could mean life or death. Adam meets with those tasked with predicting the weather and handling its fallout. | ||
| 3 | "Money" | |
From bank bailouts to stimulus checks: Adam digs into the ways in which the government keeps people in the black - or shortchanges them. | ||
| 4 | "Future" | |
"Hey, Siri. Who created GPS, drones, Roomba, and you?" "A military defense agency responsible for some amazing - and awful - advancements in tech." | ||
| 5 | "Disease" | |
Adam examines the U.S. government's helpful and harmful approaches to sickness and finds that incompetence and indifference are all too contagious. | ||
| 6 | "Change" | |
A disillusioned Adam visits Barack Obama to see if the man who unsuccessfully made "hope and change" a thing can explain how to make an actual impact in government. | ||
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,The G Word has an approval rating of 100% based on 5 reviews.[9] Melissa Camacho wrote forCommon Sense Media that "There's a lot to be learned here, and it's a lot more entertaining than your average civics class."[10] Nell Minow wrote in RogerEbert.com that "If we don’t believe in government, it dies. We cannot believe in it if we do not understand it, and The G Word's depictions of the best and worst of government are a welcome first step."[11] Some critics questioned the show's association with Barack and Michelle Obama: Sonia Rao ofThe Washington Post wrote in an article titled 'Why it’s hard to trust an Obama-produced show to critique the government', that 'The G Word' was characterized by a, "...somewhat disingenuous take on what is required for the government to truly serve its people — perhaps the most obvious indicator of its producers’ bias."[12]Libertarian political punditJohn Stossel criticized the show, writing inReason that the show was "big government propaganda" that "sneers at what it calls this philosophy that the free market should be trusted over the government."[13]
